1. “Beautiful & Cruel” (88-9)
“A Smart Cookie” (90-1)
What does “ball and chain” mean? (88).
What does “Her power is her own. She will not give it away.” mean? (89).
What does Esperanza decide about herself?
What does Esperanza’s mother know how to do? What doesn’t she know how to do?
What does this difference reveal?
What advice does Esperanza’s mother give her?
What did her mother quit school?

2. Thinking about: “Beautiful & Cruel” + “A Smart Cookie”
What is Sandra Cisnero’s purpose with these 2 vignettes?
Are they hopeful? Sad?
What does the order of the vignettes mean to you?
What does it say about these two vignettes that they are after “Four Skinny Trees,” “No Speak English,” “Sally,” and “Minerva Writes Poetry”?
What does it say about these two vignettes that they are right before “What Sally Said,” “The Monkey Garden,” “Red Clowns,” and “Linoleum Roses”?
Do you think The House on Mango Street will end in a hopeful or negative way?

3. With a partner, create a Feminist Perspective Poster:
A short explanation of 3 women’s lives on Mango Street (plot).
Choose 2 from: Sally, Esperanza’s mother, Minerva, Alicia, and/or Marin.
What is life like for women on Mango Street? What problems, dreams, opportunities, etc. do they have?
3-5 related Statistics + Citations about Latina/Chicana women in the 1950’s.
Include 3 feminist theme statements (for example “Control…”) for:
The vignettes “Beautiful & Cruel” + “A Smart Cookie” together.
The 5 Sally Vignettes
The House on Mango Street in total.
A thesis statement about the symbolism of writing/poetry for Esperanza with 3 pieces of evidence.
An illustration… or just make your work pretty to hang in the hallway.

4. Feminism Definitions:
“the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.”
“a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social equality of sexes. This includes seeking to establish educational and professional opportunities for women that are equal to those for men.”
“Feminist activist Bell Hooks calls it ‘a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.’“
Few words in the English language spark more heated debate than the word feminism, a word with an expansive gap between the word’s actual definition and that by which society has defined it.
While society’s preconceived notion of feminism has acquired negative connotations over the years, and the word has come to mean the superiority of the female sex, this concept is a far cry from the true definition of the word: the equality of the sexes.

5. Feminist Theory: Key Beliefs
The relationship between men and women has almost always been unequal and oppressive.
All known societies have been patriarchal.
Patriarchy is a system in which males dominate females.
While biology determines our sex (male or female), culture determines and defines our gender (masculine or feminine). Simone de Beauvoir writes : “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”
All major social institutions have been characterized by male dominance:
Economic
Political system:
US Senate: 22% women* (16 Dems/6 Repubs); House of Representatives: 19.6% women (78 Dems/27 Repubs).
US Senate has the all time current record.
Only 6 states have female governors while there has only ever been 42 women serving in that role.
Family
Religion: for example, in the biblical portrayal of Eve as the origin of sin
Elements of modern western masculinity have negative effects on men, as well as women. (“Toxic Masculinity”)

6. Feminist Theory: Key Beliefs Continued
Culture tends to make women invisible.
The intellectual and artistic achievements of women are largely ignored.
Some histories of art do not mention a single female artist.
History is written as if women had no role in it and were hardly even present.
Historians discuss a great length the violent war-making capacities of males.
Society feels ownership over women’s bodies.
Sexually, economically, and politically.
Powerful and/or independent women are demonized by society.
The typically assigned gender roles for women within families and society are often boring and unfulfilling.

7. The end of The House on mango street